History
Colbury Memorial Hall was built in 1923, gifted to the local community by the Barker-Mill family. There is little open-source information on the Hall although information about the Barker-Mill’s indicates that they were prominent Hampshire landowners whose ancestry can be traced back to the 14th Century where they played a vital role in the history and development of Southampton.
Their prominence in the town is recognised on the Bargate, the fortified Norman tower guarding the entrance to the city, where the Barker-Mill family shield still remains on display, alongside those of other great Southampton families. The Barker-Mill family is also known to have donated land in 1965 for the building of another Village Hall at Nursling.
The facilities at Colbury include the main Hall with a curtained stage and a wooden sprung floor, two smaller meeting rooms with kitchen facilities.
Paranormal
Man with an Umbrella
Location: Colbury – Area close to a brickyard and Ashhurst Bridge, Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa Summer 1895
Further Comments: A man clad in dark clothing and holding an umbrella took up haunting this area, vanishing into thin air if approached. Some considered the entity a real person, with one man writing to the local newspaper and threatened to shoot the entity if seen.
The hall was investigated 10 years ago and proved to be very active.